Without water, the cooling of nuclear reactors in Fukushima in danger – but because lots of them are still pumped into the reactors, the operator has a storage problem. Tepco again sees only one possibility: The radioactive broth must be into the sea.

Tokyo – On the grounds of the damaged nuclear plant in Fukushima Daiichi, the water is always a problem. To prevent the meltdown in the reactors, operators had to pour huge amounts of water Tepco from above into the building. This turned into a part so highly radioactive liquor which have since been decontaminated need. But given the sheer quantity, there is always lack of space. Tepco now resorts to a measure that was pretty often on the agenda: The operator will direct weakly radioactive water into the sea. Tepco justified this on Thursday with an impending shortage of tank capacity for contaminated water in the nuclear plant ruins.

Although a part of the power plant leaked radioactive water decontaminated and profoundly and for cooling in the sequence of the earthquake and tsunami of 11 March damaged reactors 1-3 reused. Despite daily flow continues an additional 200 to 500 tons of ground water in the reactor building, as Japanese media report. The existing tanks have only a capacity of 160,000 tons. And in March it would therefore be full. One can not place in the next few years more and more tanks, Tepco said.

Fishing Association has serious concerns

The group assured according to the Kyodo news agency that in case of derivation of radioactive water into the sea only would such uses, the burden lies below the permissible limit by the state. The fishermen’s association, however, already expressed strong concerns.

Tepco is due to the disposal of the contaminated water in the criticism. That was in April of highly contaminated water with a load of Becquerel 4700000000000000 flowed into the Pacific Ocean in May with a load of 20 trillion becquerels. In April, Tepco was also intentionally weak radiant water with 150 billion becquerels into the sea to make room for the storage of highly contaminated water. Added radioactivity from particles that were flushed with the rain water into the ocean.

On the weekend spilled from a building for the contaminated sea water desalination some 150 liters of water containing strontium in the 500 meters distant Pacific. The amount of radioactive substances found to comply with Tepco 26 billion becquerels. That means 12 percent of the annual emission values ​​for the nuclear power plant during periods of normal operation. The load in the water leaked out was “negligible”, Tepco was quoted as saying.

Although the water had been previously cleaned of radioactive cesium, it said. The plant was not able to remove strontium from water. Strontium can cause bone cancer and leukemia.

Soldiers start cleaning action

On Wednesday, the Japanese military had begun with the decontamination work in the 20-kilometer exclusion zone around the NPP. Around 900 soldiers from the Self-Defense Forces should clean in four locations in the province of Fukushima public buildings of radiation.

The buildings in the towns of Namie, Naraha, Tomioka Iitate and will in future serve as bases for large-scale decontamination of contaminated areas, the government will begin in January. The use of the armed forces is applied to about two weeks.